On the morning of Dec. 16, the Fair Park Automobile Building was transformed into 90,000 square feet of Christmas gifts. The line to get in started forming overnight, and hundreds of needy families waited outside, warmed by the prospect of new clothes, shoes, boxed food, bedding and 2,000 shiny new bikes.

The S.M. Wright Foundation's Christmas in the Park is an annual party that brings together the volunteers and partners the foundation relies on to celebrate with needy families.

People line up to enter the S.M. Wright Foundation's Christmas in the Park in the Automobile Building at Fair Park on Dec. 16, 2017.
(Rex C. Curry/Special Contributor)

Volunteer Steve Discenza helps Felipe Rodriguez, 5, choose a bike during at the S.M. Wright Foundation's Christmas in the Park in the Automobile Building at Fair Park on Sat. Dec. 16, 2017.
(Rex C. Curry/Special Contributor)

(Rex C Curry/Special Contributor)

DeMarcus Hicks, a gospel mime artist waits to perform during at the S.M. Wright Foundation's Christmas in the Park in the Automobile Building at Fair Park on Sat. Dec. 16, 2017.
(Rex C. Curry/Special Contributor)

(Rex C Curry/Special Contributor)

Volunteer Allan Laird helps Kyla Washington, 13, out with the bike she chose during at the S.M. Wright Foundation's Christmas in the Park in the Automobile Building at Fair Park on Sat. Dec. 16, 2017.
(Rex C. Curry/Special Contributor)

(Rex C Curry/Special Contributor)

People receive gifts for their children at the S.M. Wright Foundation's Christmas in the Park in the Automobile Building at Fair Park on Sat. Dec. 16, 2017.
(Rex C. Curry/Special Contributor)

(Rex C Curry/Special Contributor)

Employees of Andrew Distributing give out clothing during at the S.M. Wright Foundation's Christmas in the Park in the Automobile Building at Fair Park on Sat. Dec. 16, 2017.
(Rex C. Curry/Special Contributor)

(Rex C Curry/Special Contributor)

"When you see the kids, the looks on their faces," volunteer Paula Pryor said, "then you will know why we do this. It is contagious."

The man at the helm of this merriment is S.M. Wright II, a name synonymous with service, a stretch of Dallas freeway, and a fierce theological perspective that fuels its humanitarian partner. At age 43, he is the eldest son of Sylvester Marilyn Wright Sr., a legendary Texan who was as comfortable rubbing elbows with men in low places, under bridges or standing on corners unemployed, as he was with men in high spaces, inside political mansions or posh boardrooms.

"Our family has been in Dallas close to 100 years now," Wright II said.

His father was pastor of People's Missionary Baptist Church from 1957 to the day he died in 1994, building a large local congregation and extending his influence through radio broadcasts and connections with civil rights leaders, the Rev. Billy Graham and President Lyndon Johnson.

Rev. S.M. Wright Sr., pastor of People's Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas, and a religious and community leader from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Rev. S. M. Wright II He is the son of the legendary S. M. Wright Sr., who was pastor of People's Missionary Baptist Church, in Dallas, and a religious and community leader from the 1960s to the 1990s when he died.

As a baby preacher took his first steps under the shadow of a civil rights icon, impatient saints rushed to the exits. "A lot of the members left," Wright said. Some Sundays, he preached to 50 people seated in pews that could hold hundreds. The flock wanted Wright to stick with the script. Instead, he wrote his own.

"With the foundation, we wanted to give back in a way the community wanted," Wright reminisced. The first order of business was a comprehensive assessment of the church's neighbors in Fair Park and South Dallas. It did not take long to identify their biggest concern: hunger.

In 1998, the Wright Foundation launched its flagship initiative, a food program. "The church had a fellowship hall and plenty of room. We used it during the week." Conveniently located near Malcolm X Boulevard, the fellowship hall quickly became a popular food center that now serves 4,000 customers a month.

The next greatest demand was for education. "There were a lot of kids making Ds and Fs and the parents couldn't help them because the parents were out working." The answer was a homework program.

The nonprofit exploded, turning its own brand of mathematics into a network of friends who arrived armed with goods and ideas, from training to legal issues.

The Reverend S.M. Wright II(L), pastor, and the Rev. Calvin Wright, co-pastor, in the Sanctuary of People's Missionary Baptist Church in South Dallas in 1995. Their father, the Rev. S.M. Wright (portrayed in painting), died in 1994.

After visiting dozens of homes and counting the number of times there were no mattresses or bed frames, the Foundation added Beds for Kids to get children off the floor. Since 2010 the foundation has given away 14,000 beds.

"In my father's era, they dealt with civil rights," Wright said. "Our era is dealing with an economic environment. We have to help families understand the free enterprise system, so they understand how it works."

The Christmas party showcases the impressive network of partners Wright has created to support the work of his foundation.

Santa Larry, the nationally known Claus from Minnesota, with his Hershey bar skin and curly white beard, visited with children. One of the first kids to get a mini Hummer was treated to a big push by Pat Smith, wife of former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith. Team 22, one of the couple's charities, came to volunteer.

Stella Rose and Allie Anthony laugh with two other friends from Highland Park High School when I walk by. They agree that it "feels awesome" to help someone not as privileged as them. They belong to an S.M. Wright Club at their school, which is where Maddy McGuire, a Highland Park graduate, launched Coats for Kids. This year, the members presented Wright a check for $14,560.

Wright recalls his father's favorite saying: God is love. A Google search nets a vintage Wright sermon of the same title. Three thousand members of his father's church came back because they believe the spirit of the father lives in the son.

Joyce King is a writer in North Texas and the author of several books. Twitter: @writerjoyceking